Aeroplane



20, 1929. J J, HILL 1,725,640

. AEROPLANE Filed Jan. 22, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 20, 1929. HILL 1,725,640

AEROPLANE Filed Jan. 22, 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 I v Jab/7'1 j m m I;'W.TNESS=%WM i 7 Aug. 20, 1929. J H|LL 1,725,640

AEROPLANE Filed Jan. 22, 1926 :5 Sheets-Sheet 5 II II II II H II II II II ll John d H: [Z

ATTORN EY time rarest oFFice.

JOHN J. HILL, F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

AEROPLANE.

Application filed January 22, 19218.

The object of this invention is to provide for the operation of a plnrality of propellers fron'i one driving shaft, and to provide for the independent control of the propellers and especially of the blades thereof, for facilitating the guiding and handling of the machine when ascending, when under way under normal conditions, when descending, or when versing.

l l ith the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of elements described, illustrated and claimed, it being un derstood that modifications n'iay be made within pe of the claim, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

in the drawings forming of this application,

Figure l is a view of the machine in side elevation.

Figure 2 is a top plan view.

Figure 3 a. horizontal section on line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure is a section'on line ll of liigere 3, showing one of the elements controlling the position of the blades or vanes of the propellers.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of one of the blades, showing the devices carried by the stem of each blade, for cooperation with the element shown in Figure l.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary View, in section, showing the relative position the element of Figures at and 5, and showing an outer disc on the square end of the propeller shaft, in which disc the elements of Figure 5 are mounted.

It will be assumed that the engine mount ed in the forward part of the main structure designated 10, the reference character 12 indicating the car or pontoon n'ionnted below the machine, two of the landing wheels being designated 13 and 14.. The elements by means of which the lower structure is secured, are shown conventionally and are designated 15. A plane 16 is supported by vertical element 1?, and is braced by element 18, all this structure being of standard type, or being especially adapted to the machine nnder consideration, as the case may be.

In Figure 2 the propellers as a whole are designated A, B, C and l), and Figure 3 the hub portions and controlling portions of the individual propellers are shown as here mounted respectively on forward and rear driven shafts 20 and 21. A driving shaft 22 Serial No. 83,036.

carries a gear wheel 23 meshing with a gear wheel 24 on shaft 20, which gear wheel 24 also meshes with. gear wheel 25 on shaft 26. This line shaft 26 carries a gear wheel 2"? meshing with gear wheel 28 on shaft 21, so that the four propellers may be driven from shaft 22, to which motion is embodied by the motor not shown. Shafts 20 and 21 loosely mount sprocket wheels 31, 32, 33 and 3 1 for controlling the position of the blades of the propellers through elements described below. Each sprocket wheel is itself controlled by a chain, such as 35, the chains passing respectively around sprocket wheels 36, 37, 38 and 39.

The sprocket wheels last referred to are carried respectively by shafts 40 mountinggear wheels ll meshing with gear wheel 42 rigid with vertical control shafts 43, shown in elevation in Figure 1, these shafts carrying laterally extending handles or arms 44, adapted to be grasped by the aviator for controlling any one of the propellers independently of the others. These vertical control shafts 43 are positioned adjacent to each other to facilitate operation in the manner described.

The sprocket wheels 31, 32, 33, 34 are rigid with reference to sleeves 50, carried by shafts 20 and 21, and mounted Within housing 51. Each sleeve mounts rigidly, or has formed therewith a disc 52, which is loose with reference to shaft 20 or 21, by which it is carried, but which may be rotated manually by the operation of one of the control shafts 43, for changing the position of the blades of the propellers.

Discs 52 are provided with inner segmental grooves 53, and outer segmental grooves 54-, shoulders being formed at 55 and 56, and at 55 and 56'. Lugs 57 and 58, rigid with reference to stem 59 of the propeller blades 60, are designed to be engaged by the shoulders, for locating the blades in accordance with the will of the aviator, who rotates disc 52 by means of vertical control shaft 43. This permits of the control of the angle of the blade, and permits them to assume the position of Figures 1 and 2.

Stems of blades 60 are mounted in radial. bores in the outer disc 61 which is carried by a square end of shaft 20, or of shaft 21 as the case may be, and lugs 57 and 58 on the stems are positioned in openings 63 in the discs 61, and operate through these openings.

It will be observed that any propeller may be thrown out of effective operation, in guiding the machine on a given level, by throwing the blades to position in Which their surfaces Will eXtend perpendicularly with reference to the axis of rotation, and that intermediate angles may be secured at Will. The blades may further be thrown to position permitting other movements of the machine as previously set forth.

It should be added that the control shafts 4:3 carry retaining means, as indicated at 66, and the shafts have end hearings in devices 68, providing SOClfElZ-S 69, adapted to receive the lugs, and hold the vertical shafts i3 after they have been rotated to the extent desired for setting the blades to be controlled.

What is claimed is:

In driving mechanism of the class described, a shaft, means for rotating the shaft, a propeller carried by the shaft, said propeller including blades, stems for mounting the blades, and a disk element for mounting the stems in position to radiate from a common center, said element being carried by the shaft, lugs carried by the stems, the lugs being in offset relation and at an angle With each other, a disc including segmental channels providing shoulders in offset relation, for cooperation With the lugs to effect the rotation of the stems and blades, and means for rotating the disc, 'said disks having their flat sides in contact, one disk providing independently of the other for completely ournalling Within its body, the stems of the blades, the second disk providin for the control of the angular position of the stems.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JOHN J. HILL. 

